Driving mechanism for odometers, &amp;c.



PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

0. H. VBEDER. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ODOMBTERS, 6:0.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20,1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor.

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A ttest N0. 833,355. PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

G. H. VEEDER. I

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ODOMETERS, &0.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20. 1905.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, (\Ca x Attest: Inventor: CW MAM/M Znwa W KW o. 333,355. PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906. 0. H. VBEDER. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ODOMBTBRS, &c.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZO. 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

,4 tq 2% I Inventor: i fiff by PATENTED OCT. 16, 1906.

C. H. VEBDER. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ODOMBTERS, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED JULYZO, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

n w H e v m CURTIS HUSSEY VEEDER, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ODOMETERS, 81.0;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1906.

Application filed July 20, 1905. Serial No. 270,449.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CURTIs HUssEY VEE- DER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford, 1n the State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for ()dometers, &c., of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to driving mechanism for odometers and other registering devices, such as are commonly employed to indicate the distance traveled by motorvehicles, and are also employed. for other purposes and upon other machines. a In the particular use of such devices which is referred to the registering de vices are sometimes placed in close proximity to the actuating dev ce, such as the hub of the vehicle-wheel. In other cases the registering device is carried at a distance from the actuator-as, for example, upon the dash of the vehicle. It is with th1s use or similar use of the registering devices that this invention is particularly concerned; and it has for its object to provide improved driving and transmitting devices which shall permit of convenient application of the complete device to the machine upon which it is to be used to prevent injury to the registering mechanism in case of men dental separation of the registering mechanism from the actuator to a greater distance than contemplated, to provide for operation of the registering mechanism regardless of the direction of movement of the actuator, and generally to improve the construction and operationof the driving and transmitting mechanism.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the embodiment thereof, which has been chosen for illustration in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view, partly in longitudinal section and partly in elevation, showing a preferred form of the driving mechanism adjacent to the actuator. Fig. 2 is a view of the same parts in central section on a plane transverse to the plane of section of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view, partly in longitudinal section and partlv in elevation, showing driving and transmitting mechanism adjacent to the registering device which is also shown. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but illustrating a slightly-different arrangement of the driving mechanism adjacent to the registering device.

In suitable bearings in a box-like bracket a, which is adapted to be secured in conven ient proximity to the vehicle-wheel or other actuator, is mounted a shaft b, adapted to be driven from said actuator by any suitable means not necessary to be described herein. \Vithin the bracket a and upon the shaft are mounted one or more bevel-wheels c. If the actuator moves in one direction only, then only one bevel-wheel c is necessary; but if the actuator may move at different times in opposite directions and it is desired that the registering device shall register the total of its movements in opposite directions then two bevel-wheels a should be provided adapted to engage the transmitting bevel-pinion d on opposite sides of its axis, each of the drivingwheels being arranged to be idle while the other is driven in a corresponding direction, whereby the transmitting-wheel d is driven always in the same direction.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, each bevel-wheel c is mounted loosely on the shaft 1; and is provided with spring-pressed pawls c, adapted to engage as ot or slots b in the shaft 7), the pawls upon one wheel 0 being set in the opposite direction from the pawls on the other wheel, so that when the shaft 1) is driven in a direction to drive through its pawls one of the wheels 0 the pawls of the other wheel 0 will slip idly over the slotted shaft. As both of the wheels 0 are in mesh with the wheel (1 and on opposite sides of its center, the latter will therefore be driven continuously in the same direction whether the shaft 1) be rotated in one direction or in the other. A bracket .2 straddles the shaft 1) between the gears c, its ends resting on the bottom of the recesses in the bracket a, and constitutes a thrust-bracket for the flexible shaft, hereinafter referred to.

The beveled transmission-gear (Z is staked to the lower end of a sleeve fthat is, ears f on said sleeve are turned outward into notches in the gear-hub, so that the gear and sleeve rotate positively together. The sleeve f has a bearing in an outer sleeve a, which is. rigidly supported by the cover a of the boxlike bracket a, the cover a being firmly bolted to the base. As shown, the bearingsleeve a is supported in a horizontal upper face of the cover a but as it may be desirable to support the sleeve f at some other angle the cover a. is provided with other faces a, either of which may be drilled to furnish a seat for the sleeve a, according to the angle at which it is desired to place said sleeve. At its upper end the. sleeve f may be provided with a flange f 2 to have a bearing on a shoulder a of the sleeve a, and near its upper end it is provided with a key f preferably swaged therein to engage a slot 9 1n a sleeve g, whichis sweated on the end of the transmissionshaft g which is preferably a flexible shaft of suitable construction. in effect, a part of said shaft. As the slot 9 extends to the lower end of the sleeve 9 or of the shaft 9 the shaft will simply pull out of thesocket or bevel gear-sleeve f in case there should be any undue strain on the shaft.

The flexible shaft gis guarded by a flexible sheath h, the extremity of which is rovided with a coupling h, which is held to t e end of the stationary sleeve a. by a threaded cap h Wire is referably coiled about the lower end of the sheath, as at h extending for a short distance from the extremity for the purpose of reinforcing the sheath and preventing a sharp bend therein where the sheaf leaves the coupling. The wire reinforcements may be further protected by a cap 72.. At the end adjacent to the registering device the flexible shaft g is similarly provided with a tip or sleeve g slotted, as at g, and preferably provided witha collar 9 to take the vertical thrust or sustain the weight of the flexible shaft, bearing, as shown, against the end of the coupling h", which engages the adjacent end of the sheath h and is itself engaged by the cap it. The latter is threaded upon a sleeve 71, which is fixed in the gear-casing '11. A cylindrical hub 2' on the gear-casing finds a corresponding seat in the bracket 7c, which supports the registering or indicating device m,- so that the position of the flexible shaft can be adjusted as desired, according to the location of the registering device.

The slotted terminal of the flexible shaft is engaged by a key n, swaged in a rotating sleeve n, which is mounted in the fixed sleeve 71 and carries at its upper end a' bevel-pinion 11. which engages a corresponding bevelpinion 0. The latter is mounted upon a shaft p concentric with the circular hub i and directly driving the registering or indicating 'mechanism', as bya pinion p, engaging an internal tram o ear-wheel 71 which is the first of the gears of the registering mechanism. ust-cap g, surrounding the bearing ofthe central shaft m of the registering mechanismm and fitting snugly against the casing thereof, is seated in the rear wall of the bracket k and serves not only to cover the internal gear and pinion and protect them from sand, but also to more accurately locate the registering mechanism and its internal gear in relation to the pinion both endwise and sidewise.

In some cases it may be preferable to The sleeve g forms,

It will now be understood that the improved transmission mechanism herein described not only provides for a positive driving of the registering mechanlsm from the actuating part, but permits great freedom inthe location of the registering mechanism and secures great facility in the application of such mechanism. Furthermore, when two driving-pinions are employed, as herein described, it secures a total registration regardless of the direction of movement of the vehicle or other machine to which the registering mechanism is applied. claim as my invention 1. Driving mechanism for indicatin devices, &c., comprising a driving-sha t, a

bracket or gear case supporting the same, an

indicating device, a bracket supporting the same, a flexible shaft, a shaft mounted in the first-named bracket, said last-named shaft and said flexible shaft having a key-and-slot engagement, gears between the last-named shaft and the driving-shaft, gears between the flexible shaft and the indicating device, and a sheath for the flexible shaft secured at its ends to said brackets stantially as described.

2. Driving mechanism for indicatin devices, &c., comprising a driving-sha t, a bracket or ear case supporting the same, a flexible shaft, beve ears between the driving-shaft and the exible shaft, a thrustbracket straddling the driving-shaft to support the end of the flexible shaft'and 1ts gears, gears between the flexible shaft and the indicating device, and a sheath for the flexible shaft secured at its ends to said brackets respectively, substantially as described.

3. Driving mechanism for indicatin devices, &c., comprising a driving-shat, a bracket or gearcase supporting the same, a flexible shaft, a bevel-gear carried by said flexible shaft, two bevel-gears having opposite pawl engagement with the driving-shaft and engaging oppositely the bevel-gear of the flexible shaft, gears between the flexible shaft and the indicating device, and a sheath for the flexible shaft secured at its ends to said brackets respectively,substantially as described.

4. Driving mechanism for indicatin devices, &c., comprising a driving-sha t, a bracket or gear case supporting the same, a flexible shaft, a gear-case having a circular hub engaging the bracket of the indicating device, bevelears between the driving'shaft and the flexi le shaft, and bevel-gears between the flexible shaft and the indicating device and supported in said gear-case, and a sheath for the flexible shaft secured at its ends to said brackets respectively, substantially as described.

5. Driving mechanism for indicatin devices, &c., comprising a driving-sha t, a bracket or gear case su portin the same, a bevel-gear sup orted by sai bracket or case, two beve -gears having 0 posite awl engagement with the driving-s aft an engaging oppositely the first-named bevelear, and operative connections between the t-named bevelear and the indicating devices, substantia y as described.

6. Driving mechanism for indicat' devices, &c., comprising a driving-s a CURTIS HUSSEY VEEDER.

In presence of E. G. BIDDLE, E. BARBIE SMITH. 

